Has Bruce Oldfield won the commission of the century?

When Kate Middleton sashays down the aisle at Westminster Abbey eagerly awaited by her groom Prince William and watched by millions more around the world she could be wearing a gown by one of his mother's favourite couturiers.

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Bookies have apparently closed the betting on the designer of the royal wedding dress after one name began receiving all the wagers.

Bruce Oldfield – who created countless designs for Prince Diana – is leading the field.

A spokesman from the bookmaker Paddy Power told Vogue.com that there was no point taking bets when all the interest was in one person.

The maestro - who rose from a background as a child in the care of the charity Barnado's to dress Hollywood royalty and princesses - has created wedding outfits for Samantha Cameron and Jemima Khan.

Bruce, 60, was also the man behind the medieval-style design worn by one of the royal couple's friends Lady Tamara Grosvenor, the daughter of the Duke of Westminster, when she married Edward Van Cutsem.

His couture gowns start at £8,000, while the ready-to-wear line goes for £1,700